- Author
-
Babrauskas, V.
|
Williamson, R. B.
- Title
- Post-Flashover Compartment Fires.
- Coporate
- California Univ., Berkeley
- Sponsor
- National Science Foundation, Washington, DC
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
UCB FRG 75-1; CIB W14/145/75 (USA),
Decmeber 1975,
94 p.
- Keywords
-
compartment fires
|
flashover
|
fire endurance tests
|
numerical analysis
|
pyrolysis rate
|
gas temperature
- Abstract
- The requirements for fire resistance in buildings are examined. An historical background is given for the current building code requirements governing fire endurance tests. Relevant aspects of compartment combustion theory are set forth. Salient shortcomings, mainly in the area of fuel pyrolysis rates, are pointed out. Use of rationally calculated time-temperature curves for design and analysis is illustrated and discussed. A new design methodology is outlined which allows conservative, rationally based simplifications to be made. This approach, termed "pessimization," allows gas time-temperature curves to be produced that are applicable to a multiplicity of design conditions by letting certain variables always asume those values which would produce the highest temperatures. Finally, improvements offered by such a method over existing code design provisions are noted.